Jul 18 , 2020
By Kidist Yidnekachew
On Monday evening, I was one set of the eyes glued to the TV to watch part of Hachalu Hundessa’s interview, which was claimed to have been cut from its original airing on OMN, on ETV.
It was a watershed moment in the realisation that the events of the past three weeks have been about many things beside those initially portrayed, and I was not alone in the pit. The media is a powerful tool. For those that do not question what they hear and see, it is easy to end up confusing what is actually happening on the ground.
How much of what we see and hear in the media poses a fundamental question to our understanding of the current condition. The way the media portrays an individual or a group polarises our views and affects our opinions. They say ignorance is bliss, and this may be the case, but lack of knowledge is dangerous. It is also an ailment most of us suffer from.
How can this not be when we form our opinions based on the very few things we hear about an individual either from another individual or what is being circulated in the media? How would it have been possible for us to understand the fine distinctions within the prevailing narratives when we forget that the various media households have their own agendas?
It was an emotional experience watching Hacchalu's interview. It is easy to feel the pain his family and loved ones must be going through. The realisation that I did not really know him when he was alive and only got a glimpse of who he was after he died did not sit well with me either. All the information I had about him was from media outlets and people I came across.
But he was a far more complicated person than many would have preferred to portray him as. Clearly, he was a person that was determined and was willing to fight for what he believed in and had been through a great deal of hardship for what he stood for. It was hard to miss the sincerity and the emotional strain in his voice.
No doubt, it is important to recognise that, once again we are being exposed to narratives by groups and institutions that have a political agenda, and we should maintain a healthy reservation about how the events of the past three weeks are being presented.
Perhaps the important lesson here is one about the media. In the wrong hands, it can make or break the names and reputations of individuals. As consumers of information, we should be vigilant and skeptical about what we hear, see and read.
There is also a notion that the media should be allowed to provide information as freely as possible; this is not always the case. There should be a regulatory body, both in the form of institutions and a watchful public, that calls out misrepresentation and the reduction of views. Some agree that truth is subjective, and what holds for some of us could be the opposite of what many of us feel. But the truth should be maintained, and this will be the case as long as we have responsible media houses.
Many public figures have fallen prey to the media's sensationalist presentation of them and have been depicted in a certain way to serve a political agenda. But consumers of their content should not be too quick to judge and pick on individuals. We should swallow whatever we are told with a pinch of salt.
The responsibility thus lies in our hands as well. We are the customers with the power to demand independently produced content that sees the larger picture. We have to rise above our own biases and recognise how the different form of media revel in playing to our prejudices. If we do not do this, I doubt the practitioners themselves will volunteer to do as such.
PUBLISHED ON
Jul 18,2020 [ VOL
21 , NO
1055]
Photo Gallery | 96529 Views | May 06,2019
Photo Gallery | 88811 Views | Apr 26,2019
My Opinion | 67130 Views | Aug 14,2021
Commentaries | 65749 Views | Oct 02,2021
Feb 24 , 2024 . By MUNIR SHEMSU
Abel Yeshitila, a real estate developer with a 12-year track record, finds himself unable to sell homes in his latest venture. Despite slash...
Feb 10 , 2024 . By MUNIR SHEMSU
In his last week's address to Parliament, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD) painted a picture of an economy...
Jan 7 , 2024
In the realm of international finance and diplomacy, few cities hold the distinction that Addis Abeba doe...
Sep 30 , 2023 . By AKSAH ITALO
On a chilly morning outside Ke'Geberew Market, Yeshi Chane, a 35-year-old mother cradling her seven-month-old baby, stands amidst the throng...
Apr 20 , 2024
In a departure from its traditionally opaque practices, the National Bank of Ethiopia...
Apr 13 , 2024
In the hushed corridors of the legislative house on Lorenzo Te'azaz Road (Arat Kilo)...
Apr 6 , 2024
In a rather unsettling turn of events, the state-owned Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (C...
Mar 30 , 2024
Ethiopian authorities find themselves at a crossroads in the shadow of a global econo...
Apr 20 , 2024
Ethiopia's economic reform negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are in their fourth round, taking place in Washington, D...
Apr 20 , 2024 . By BERSABEH GEBRE
An undercurrent of controversy surrounds the appointment of founding members of Amhara Bank after regulat...
An ambitious cooperative housing initiative designed to provide thousands with affordable homes is mired...
Apr 20 , 2024 . By AKSAH ITALO
Ethiopia's juice manufacturers confront formidable economic challenges following the reclassification of...